Stow-in-floor seat assembly with pitched easy entry position

ABSTRACT

A seat is provided in which a seat cushion is pivotally coupled to a seat back by a recliner assembly. The recliner assembly is selectively operable between a locked condition preventing pivotal movement of the seat back and an unlocked condition allowing pivotal movement of the seat back. A riser assembly supports the seat assembly above a floor, such as the floor of a vehicle, and is configured for actuation and movement of the seat assembly between a generally upright seating position, a pitched easy entry position tilted forwardly and downwardly towards the floor to allow easier ingress and egress behind the seat, and a stowed position recessed within a compartment below the floor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of United, Statesapplication Ser. No. 15/631,218 filed Jun. 23, 2017 which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/353,593 filed on Jun.23, 2016.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a seat assembly for an automotive vehicle, andmore particularly, to a stow-in-floor seat assembly operable between agenerally upright seating position, a pitched easy entry position tiltedforwardly for allowing easier ingress and egress into the rear of thevehicle, and a stowed position recessed within the floor of theautomotive vehicle.

2. Description of Related Art

Automotive vehicles include seat assemblies for supporting occupantswithin the vehicle. The seat assemblies typically include a seat cushionand a seat back operatively coupled to the seat cushion by a reclinermechanism for allowing selective pivotal adjustment of the seat backrelative to the seat cushion between a plurality of reclined seatingpositions. The seat back is also commonly moveable between any one ofthe reclined seating positions and a generally horizontal fold flatposition overlying the seat cushion to present a load floor surface onthe rear surface of the seat back.

It is also known in the automotive seating art to mount a riser assemblybetween the seat cushion and the floor of the vehicle for moving theseat assembly between a seating position, with the seat back in one ofthe reclined seating positions and the seat cushion spaced above thefloor, and a stowed position, with the seat back in the fold flatposition and the seat assembly stowed within a recess or bin in thefloor of the vehicle. The seat assembly typically includes a firstrelease mechanism for actuating the recliner mechanism to providepivotal movement of the seat back between the reclined seating positionand the fold flat position and a separate second release mechanism foractuating the riser assembly to provide pivotal movement of the seatassembly between the seating position and the stowed position.

It is desirable to provide a release mechanism operatively coupled tothe riser assembly for providing movement of the seat assembly betweenthe seating position or fold flat position and a pitched easy entryposition wherein the seat assembly is tilted forwardly and downwardlytowards the floor of the vehicle to allow easier ingress and egress intothe rear of the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary embodiment of the disclosure involves a seat comprising aseat assembly and a riser assembly. The seat assembly includes a seatcushion pivotally coupled to a seat back by a recliner assembly. Therecliner assembly is selectively operable between a locked conditionpreventing pivotal movement of the seat back and an unlocked conditionallowing pivotal movement of the seat back. The riser assembly supportsthe seat assembly above a floor, such as the floor of a vehicle, and isconfigured for actuation and movement of the seat assembly between agenerally upright seating position, a pitched easy entry position tiltedforwardly and downwardly towards the floor to allow easier ingress andegress behind the seat, and a stowed position recessed within acompartment below the floor.

In an embodiment, the recliner assembly comprises a locking mechanism,such as a disc recliner, which is operatively coupled to a cam lever.The first end of the cam lever is operatively coupled to at least onerecline link. The at least one recline link is in turn operativelycoupled to a recline handle for operation by the user. Operation of therecline handle thereby moves the at least one recline link, which inturn rotates the cam lever and unlocks the locking mechanism, so as topermit the recliner assembly to enter the unlocked condition. In theunlocked condition, the seat back may be pivoted between at least two ofan upright seating position, a reclined seating position, and a foldflat position.

In an embodiment, the second end of the cam lever is operatively coupledto at least one further recline link. The at least one further reclinelink is in turn operatively coupled to a recliner strap for operation bythe user. Pulling the recliner strap thereby moves the at least onefurther recline link, which in turn rotates the cam lever and unlocksthe locking mechanism, so as to permit the recliner assembly to enterthe unlocked condition.

In an embodiment, operation of the recliner strap may also unlock afurther locking mechanism on the riser assembly. The further lockingmechanism pivotally couples support brackets attached to the floor ofthe vehicle to a pair of rear legs connecting the riser assembly to theseat assembly. The further locking mechanism is operatively coupled toan electric drive assembly, which moves the further locking mechanisminto the unlocked position in response to a proximity switch. Theproximity switch is activated by a switch actuator that is operativelycoupled (e.g. by a cable, cam, linkage, or otherwise) to the at leastone further recline link, which is in turn operatively coupled to therecliner strap. In such embodiments, operation of the recliner strapthereby unlocks the further locking mechanism on the riser assembly, inaddition to the locking mechanism on the seat assembly, so as to permitthe seat to be moved to a pitched easy entry position in which the seatback is in a fold flat position.

In an embodiment, an easy entry handle is operatively coupled to theseat assembly. The easy entry handle is operatively coupled to theswitch actuator (e.g. by a cable, cam, linkage, or otherwise). Operationof the easy entry handle moves the switch actuator, thereby triggeringthe proximity switch and unlocking the further locking mechanism on theriser assembly. The locking mechanism on the seat assembly remains inits locked condition, allowing the seat to be moved to the pitched easyentry position in which the seat back is in a generally uprightposition.

In an embodiment, the switch actuator is also operatively coupled (e.g.by a cable, cam, linkage, or otherwise) to at least one biased latchmechanism on the riser assembly. The latch mechanism pivotally couplesan upper and lower portion of the front legs of the riser assembly. Thelatch mechanism is configured to lock the riser assembly in the uprightposition. In such embodiments, movement of the switch actuator (usingthe recliner strap or the easy entry handle) also moves the latchmechanism against its bias, thereby allowing the riser assembly to leavethe upright position so as to permit the seat to enter the pitched easyentry position or the stowed position (as the case may be).

In an embodiment, the seat assembly further comprises a seat backblocking mechanism. The seat back blocking mechanism comprises a biasedpin that enters an aperture on the recliner assembly to block andprevent the seat back from pivoting forward to the fold flat positionwhen the seat assembly is in the pitched easy entry position. The pin isoperatively coupled to the riser assembly (e.g. by a cable, cam,linkage, or otherwise) such that the pin moves against the bias andpermits movement into the fold flat position when the riser assemblymoves beyond the pitched easy entry position, toward the stowedposition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated as thesame becomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a seat assembly and riser assembly according toan embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the seat assembly and riser assembly,illustrating a reclined seating position.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the seat assembly and riser assembly, in a foldflat position.

FIG. 4A is a side view of the seat assembly and the riser assembly, in apitched easy entry position, with the seat back configured in an uprightposition.

FIG. 4B is a side view of the seat assembly and the riser assembly, in apitched easy entry position, with the seat configured in a fold flatposition.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the seat assembly and the riser assembly, in astowed position.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a seat back frame according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a seat cushion frame according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary outboard side view of a recliner assemblyaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 9A is a fragmentary inboard side view of a recliner assemblyaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 9B is a fragmentary perspective view of a recliner assemblyaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of a riser assemblyaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure, in an upright position.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary front perspective view of a riser assemblyaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary rear view of an electric driveassembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary top perspective view of a seatcushion frame and riser assembly according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a riser assembly according toan embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a seat cushion frameaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged fragmentary front perspective view of a riserassembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged fragmentary rear perspective view of a riserassembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged fragmentary inboard perspective view of a seatback blocking mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary outboard perspective view of a seatback blocking mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary front perspective view of the seat assembly andriser assembly, in a pitched easy entry position, according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, a seat assemblyaccording to one embodiment of the invention for use in an automotivevehicle is generally shown at 10. Referring to FIG. 1, the seat assembly10 includes a generally horizontal seat cushion 12 and a generallyupright seat back 14 pivotally coupled to the seat cushion 12 by a pairof recliner assemblies 16. The recliner assembly 16 is selectivelyoperable between a locked condition preventing pivotal movement of theseat back 14 and an unlocked condition allowing pivotal movement of theseat back 14 relative to the seat cushion 12 between an upright seatingposition (shown in FIG. 1), a plurality of reclined seating positions(shown in FIG. 2), and a forwardly pivoted fold flat position overlyingthe seat cushion 12 (shown in FIG. 3). The recliner assembly 16 may beany suitable recliner assembly that is well known in the art, such as adisc-type recliner. The seat assembly 10 is operatively coupled to andsupported above a floor 18 in the vehicle by a riser assembly 20. Theriser assembly 20 provides for actuation and movement of the seatassembly 10 between one of the seating positions spaced above the floor18 of the vehicle as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pitched easy entryposition tilted forwardly and downwardly towards the floor 18 of thevehicle to allow easier ingress and egress into the rear of the vehicle,as shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b , and a stowed position recessed within abin 21 or compartment below the floor 18 of the vehicle, as shown inFIG. 5. The seat assembly 10 may also include a pair of armrests 22pivotally coupled to each opposing side of the seat back 14 forsupporting a seat occupant's arm in a comfort position and a headrestraint 24 operatively coupled to the top portion of the seat back 14and adjustable between a stowed position and a use position forsupporting the head and neck of the seat occupant as is commonly knownin the art.

Referring to FIG. 6, the seat back 14 includes a generally U-shaped seatback frame 30 for supporting a cellular foam pad encased in a trim coveras is commonly known in the art. The seat back frame 30 is defined byspaced apart first and second side members 32, 34 extending verticallybetween first ends interconnected by a top cross member 36 and oppositedistal second ends for connection to the recliner assembly 16. A pair ofmid cross members 38, 40 also extend laterally between and interconnectthe side members 32, 34. A pair of head restraint tubes 42, 44 mayextend through the top cross member 36 for slidably receiving andsupporting a pair of guide posts (not shown) of the head restraint 24 asis commonly known in the seating art.

Referring to FIG. 7, the seat cushion 12 similarly includes a seatcushion frame 50 for supporting a cellular foam pad encased in a trimcover. The seat cushion frame 50 is defined by spaced apart first andsecond side members 52, 54 extending between first ends interconnectedby a front cross member 56 and opposite second ends interconnected by arear cross member 58. A sinusoidal spring suspension mat 60 extendsbetween the front and rear cross members 56, 58 for providing seatoccupant comfort and support as is commonly known in the art. The rearcross member 58 may also include a pair of child seat latch wires 62, 64extending therefrom for receiving and securing a child seat on the seatcushion 12 as is commonly known in the seating art.

Referring to FIG. 8, the recliner assembly 16 is shown pivotallycoupling the seat back 14 to the seat cushion 12. A recliner assembly 16is operatively coupled to each side of the seat assembly 10. That is, afirst recliner assembly 16 is mounted on the inboard side of the seatassembly 10 between the seat back frame 30 and the seat cushion frame 50and a second recliner assembly 16 is mounted on the outboard side of theseat assembly 10 between the seat back frame 30 and the seat cushionframe 50. Each recliner assembly 16 includes an upper bracket 70 fixedlymounted to the side member 32, 34 of the seat back frame 30 and a lowerbracket 72 fixedly mounted to the side member 52, 54 of the seat cushionframe 50. A first disc recliner 74, of the type commonly known in theseating art, is operatively coupled between the upper bracket 70 andlower bracket 72. A cross tube 76 is coupled between the disc recliner74 on the inboard side of the seat assembly 10 and the disc recliner 74on the outboard side of the seat assembly 10 for synchronizing actuationof the disc recliners 74 between a locked condition preventing pivotalmovement of the seat back 14 relative to the seat cushion 12 and anunlocked condition allowing pivotal movement of the seat back 14 betweenthe seating position, a reclined position and the fold flat position. Arecline release mechanism 78 is operatively coupled to one of the discrecliners 74 for simultaneously actuating both of the disc recliners 74between the locked and unlocked conditions. More specifically, therecline release mechanism 78 includes a cam lever 80 fixedly secured toand extending from one of the disc recliners 74, the cam lever 80 havinga first lever end 82 and an opposite second lever end 84. A firstrecline link 86 extends between a first end defined by an elongated slot88 and an opposite second end defined by a pivot pin 90. A guide pin 92extends from the first lever end 82 and is slidably received in the slot88 of the first recline link 86. A second recline link 94 includes afirst end pivotally connected to the side member 54 of the seat cushionframe 50 by a pivot post 96 and an opposite distal end pivotallyconnected to the first recline link 86 by pivot pin 90. A reclinerhandle (shown at 26 in FIG. 1) is secured to the pivot post 96 forpivoting the second recline link 94 and actuating the disc recliner 74between the locked and unlocked condition. In operation, actuation ofthe recliner handle 26 pivots the second recline link 94 about pivotpost 96 in the clockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 8, pullingdownwardly on the first recline link 86. The first recline link 86 pullson the guide pin 92 to pivot the cam lever 80 in the counterclockwisedirection, thereby releasing the disc recliner 74 to the unlockedcondition and allowing pivotal movement of the seat back 14 relative tothe seat cushion 12.

The recliner assembly 16 may also be actuated between the locked andunlocked conditions by a rear recliner strap 28. The rear recliner strap28 is connected to a third recline link 87 which is pivotally coupled tothe lower bracket 72 by pivot post 97 arranged between a first endconnected to the recliner strap 28 and an opposite second end defined bypivot pin 91. A fourth recline link 95 extends between a first endpivotally coupled to the third recline link 87 by pivot pin 91 and anopposite second end having an elongated slot 89 therein for slidablyreceiving a second guide pin 93 extending from the second lever end 84of the cam lever 80. In operation, as the rear recliner strap 28 ispulled rearwardly, the third recline link 87 pivots in thecounterclockwise direction pushing upwardly on the fourth recline link95. The fourth recline link 95 rotates the cam lever 80 in thecounterclockwise direction, thereby releasing the disc recliner 74 fromthe locked to unlocked condition allowing pivotal movement of the seatback 14 from one of the reclined seating positions to the fold flatposition.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the riser assembly 20 is shown including afront mounting plate 100 and a rear mounting plate 102 for fixedlymounting and securing the seat assembly 10 to the floor 18 of thevehicle. A pair of laterally spaced apart side support brackets 104, 106are fixedly secured and extend between the front mounting plate 100 andrear mounting plate 102. A support bracket crossmember 105 extendslaterally between and is fixedly secured to side support brackets 104,106. A pair of rear legs 108, 110 extend between a first end pivotallycoupled to the seat cushion side members 52, 54 by pivot posts 112 and asecond end pivotally coupled to the side support brackets 104, 106 by asecond disc recliner 114 separately operable between a locked andunlocked condition for allowing pivotal movement of the rear legs 108,110 about the side support brackets 104, 106. A rear leg crossmember 109extends laterally between and is fixedly secured to rear legs 108, 110.The second disc recliners 114 are interconnected by a second cross tube116 for simultaneously actuating each of the second disc recliners 114between the locked and unlocked conditions. A second cam lever 118 isoperatively coupled to one of the second disc recliners 114 foractuating the second disc recliners 114 between a locked conditionlocking the rear legs 108, 110 in the upright position shown in FIG. 10and an unlocked condition allowing the rear legs 108, 110 to pivotrelative to the side support brackets 104, 106 for moving the seat 10between the upright seating position, pitched easy entry position, andstowed position as will be described further hereinbelow.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, an electric drive assembly 120 is coupledto the second cam lever 118 for actuating the second disc recliners 114between the locked and unlocked conditions. The electric drive assembly120 comprises an electric motor 122 coupled to a cable drum 124 forrotatably driving the cable drum 124 and pulling cable 126 connected tothe second cam lever 118, thereby actuating the second disc recliners114 between the locked and unlocked conditions in response to actuationof the electric drive assembly 120.

Referring to FIGS. 13-15, a proximity switch 127 is fixedly secured tothe bottom of the front cross member 56 of the seat cushion frame 50 foractuating the electric drive assembly 120. A switch actuator 129 ispivotally coupled between the side members 52, 54 for selectivelyengaging and actuating the proximity switch 127 to power the electricdrive assembly 120 and actuate the second disc recliners 114 between thelocked and unlocked conditions as will be described in greater detailherein below. Referring to FIGS. 10 and 12, a coil spring 128 a isconnected between at least one of the rear legs 108, 110 and the rearmounting plate 102 for biasing the rear legs 108, 110 to pivot forwardlyand downwardly when the second disc recliners 114 are actuated to theunlocked condition. A pair of coil springs 128 b are connected betweenthe rear legs 108, 110 and the support bracket crossmember 105 forbiasing the rear legs 108, 110 to pivot rearwardly and upwardly when theseat assembly 10 is moved from the stowed position to the uprightseating position. A pair of pneumatic or hydraulic linear bias members129 extend between one end coupled to the front mounting plate 100 andan opposite second end coupled to a bracket extending from the rear legcrossmember 109 for biasing the rear legs 108, 110 to pivot rearwardlyand upwardly when the seat assembly 10 is moved from either the stowedposition or pitched easy entry position to the upright seating position.

Referring again to FIG. 10, the riser assembly 20 also includes a pairof spaced apart front legs 130, 132 extending between a first endpivotally and slidably coupled to the front mounting plate 100 by lowerpivot posts 134 and an opposite second end pivotally coupled to the sidemembers 52, 54 of the seat cushion frame 50 by upper pivot posts 136. Anupper cross tube 138 extends between the upper pivot posts 136 and isfixedly connected to the front legs 130, 132 to rotate with the frontlegs 130, 132. A lower cross tube 140 extends between the lower pivotposts 134 and also rotates with the posts 134 and front legs 130, 132.The front mounting plate 100 includes a pair of slide brackets 142extending upwardly therefrom for receiving the lower pivot posts 134.Each slide bracket 142 includes an elongated slot 144 for slidablyreceiving and guiding the lower pivot posts 134 between a fore end andan aft end. A blocking arm 146 is pivotally connected to the slidebracket 142 for engaging the pivot post 134 to maintain the pivot post134 in the fore end of the slot 144 with the seat assembly 10 in theupright seating position and release the pivot posts 134 to slide alongthe slot 144 to the aft end upon pivotal movement of the seat assembly10 to the stowed position. A plurality of coil springs 148 extendbetween the lower cross tube 140 and the front bracket 100 for biasingthe pivot posts 134 to the fore end of the slide brackets 142.

Referring to FIGS. 10, 16 and 17, the front legs 130, 132 comprise anupper leg portion 150 extending from the upper pivot posts 136 to anopposite distal end and a lower leg portion 152 extending from the lowerpivot posts 134 to an opposite distal end. The respective distal ends ofthe upper and lower leg portions 150, 152 are pivotally interconnectedby a pivot pin 154. The distal end of each lower leg portion 152 furtherincludes a notch 156 formed therein. A latch arm 158 is pivotallycoupled to the distal end of each upper leg portion 150 for lockingengagement with the notch 156 between a latched position interlockingthe upper and lower leg portions 150, 152 to prevent pivotal movementtherebetween and an unlatched position decoupling and allowing pivotalmovement of the upper leg portion 150 relative to the lower leg portion152. A clock spring 160 is coupled to the latch arm 158 to bias thelatch arm 158 to the latched position.

Referring to FIGS. 9a, 9b , 18 and 19, the seat assembly 10 furtherincludes a seat back blocking mechanism 162 for blocking and preventingthe seat back 14 from pivoting to the fold flat position when the seatassembly 10 is in the pitched easy entry position. Specifically, aretractable pin 164 is slidably coupled through an aperture in the lowerbracket 72 of the recliner assembly 16. The pin 164 has a head 166 and acoil spring 168 seated around the pin 164 and compressed between thehead 166 and the lower bracket 72 for biasing the pin 164 to a retractedposition. A cam 170 is pivotally supported by the lower bracket 72 andengages with the head 166 of the pin 164 for actuating the pin 164between the retracted position and an extended position pressed throughthe aperture in the lower bracket 72. A cable 172 extends between theupper cross tube 138 on the front legs 130, 132 and the cam 170 whereinthe cable 172 is pulled in tension in response to rotation of the uppercross tube 138 with the pivoting movement of the front legs 130, 132 tothe pitched easy entry position to pivot the cam 170 against the pinhead 166, compressing the coil spring 168, and forcing the pin 164 tothe extended position. In the extended position, the pin 164 is engagedby the upper bracket 70 of the recliner assembly 16 to block the seatback 14 from pivoting from the upright position to the fold flatposition while the seat assembly 10 is in the pitched easy entryposition.

In operation, the seat assembly 10 is selectively movable between theplurality of seating positions, fold flat position, pitched easy entryposition or stowed position. First, referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 8, theseat back 14 may be pivoted between one of the upright or reclinedseating positions to the fold flat position by actuation of the reclinerassembly 16. Specifically, actuation of the recliner handle 26 pivotsthe second recline link 94 about pivot post 96 in the clockwisedirection, as shown in FIG. 8, pulling downwardly on the first reclinelink 86. The first recline link 86 pulls on the guide pin 92 to pivotthe cam lever 80 in the counterclockwise direction and thereby releasingthe disc recliner 74 to the unlocked condition and allowing pivotalmovement of the seat back 14 relative to the seat cushion 12.

Alternatively, the seat assembly 10 is selectively movable between theseating position and the stowed position shown in FIG. 5 by actuatingthe rear stow strap 28. Referring again to FIG. 8, the stow reclinerstrap 28 is connected to the third recline link 87 pivotally coupled tothe lower bracket 72. As the stow recliner strap 28 is pulledrearwardly, the third recline link 87 pivots in the counterclockwisedirection pushing upwardly on the fourth recline link 95. The fourthrecline link 95 rotates the cam lever 80 in the counterclockwisedirection, thereby releasing the first disc recliner 74 to the unlockedcondition and allowing pivotal movement of the seat back 14 to the foldflat position overlying the seat cushion 12. A cable 200 extends betweenthird recline link 87 and the switch actuator 129 whereby pivotalmovement of the third recline link 87 pulls on the cable 200 to pivotthe switch actuator 129 into contact with the proximity switch 127. Thecontact and actuation of the proximity switch 127 actuates the electricmotor 122 to drive the cable drum 124 and pull on the cable 126 toactuate the second disc recliners 114 to the unlocked condition. Thecoil spring 128 a assists in pivoting the rear legs 108, 110 forwardlyand downwardly moving the seat assembly 10 towards the bin 21. As thefront legs 130, 132 pivot forwardly and downwardly, a protrusion on thelower leg portion 152 engages the blocking arms 146 to pivot and liftthe blocking arms 146 upwardly and disengages them from the lower pivotposts 134 to allow the lower pivot posts to slide along the elongatedslot 144 in the slide brackets 142 from the fore end to the aft end.This rearward translation of the front legs 130, 132 drops the seatassembly 10 downwardly while the rear legs 108, 110 pivot forwardlycollapsing the seat assembly 10 into the bin 21 in the stowed positionas shown in FIG. 5.

Finally, the seat assembly 10 is also selectively moveable between theseating position and the pitched easy entry position shown in FIGS. 4aand 4b by actuating an easy entry handle 31 operatively coupled to theupper portion of the seat back 14 as shown in FIG. 1. A cable 202extends from the easy entry handle 31 to the switch actuator 129 wherebyactuation of the handle 31 pulls on the cable 202 to pivot the switchactuator 129 into contact with the proximity switch 127. The contact andactuation of the proximity switch 127 actuates the electric motor 122 todrive the cable drum 124 and pull on the cable 126 to actuate the seconddisc recliners 114 to the unlocked condition. The coil spring 128 aassists in pivoting the rear legs 108, 110 forwardly and downwardlymoving the seat assembly 10 towards the bin 21. Cables 204 extendbetween the switch actuator 129 and the latch arms 158 on each leg 130,132 whereby actuation and pivotal movement of the switch actuator 129pulls on cables 204 and simultaneously pivots the latch arms 158 out ofthe notches 156 in the lower leg portion 152. With the latch arms 158disengaged from the notches 156, the upper leg portions 150 are allowedto rotate about pivot pin 154 forwardly and downwardly relative to thelower leg portion 152 to tilt the seat assembly 10 downwardly to thepitched easy entry position as shown in FIG. 20. The lower leg portions152 are prevented from rotating downwardly by interfacing with a vehicleload floor lid 21 a for the bin 21. Further, as previously discussed,cable 172 extends between the upper cross tube 138 on the front legs130, 132 and the cam 170 wherein the cable 172 is pulled in tension inresponse to rotation of the upper cross tube 138 with the pivotingmovement of the upper leg portions 150 to the pitched easy entryposition to pivot the cam 170 against the pin head 166, compressing thecoil spring 168, and forcing the pin 164 to the extended position. Inthe extended position, the pin 164 is engaged by the upper bracket 70 ofthe recliner assembly 16 to block the seat back 14 from pivoting fromthe upright position to the fold flat position while the seat assembly10 is in the pitched easy entry position. However it is possible torotate the seat back 14 to the fold flat position first, and then putthe seat in the pitched easy entry position via actuation of handle 31,as shown in FIG. 4 b.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is tobe understood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended tobe in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Manymodifications and variations of the present invention are possible inlight of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood thatwithin the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practicedother than as specifically described.

1. A seat assembly comprising: a seat cushion; a seat back; a reclinerassembly pivotally coupling the seat cushion to the seat back, therecliner assembly including a first recliner selectively operablebetween a locked condition preventing pivotal movement of the seat backand an unlocked condition allowing pivotal movement of the seat backbetween a generally upright seating position and a fold flat positionoverlying the seat cushion; a riser assembly for supporting the seatassembly above a floor, the riser assembly including a support baseadapted to mount the seat assembly to the floor, a pair of legsextending between the support base and the seat cushion, and a secondrecliner pivotally coupling the legs to the support base and selectivelyoperable between a locked condition preventing pivotal movement of thelegs and an unlocked condition allowing pivotal movement of the legs foractuation and movement of the seat assembly between a generally uprightseating position, a pitched easy entry position tilted forwardly anddownwardly towards the floor to allow easier ingress and egress behindthe seat, and a stowed position recessed within a compartment below thefloor.
 2. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including arecliner release mechanism operatively coupled to the first recliner andthe second recliner for selectively actuating each of the first reclinerand second recliner between the respective locked and unlockedconditions.
 3. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein theseat cushion extends between a front end and an opposite rear end, theseat back extends between a top end and an opposite bottom sidepivotally coupled to the rear end of the seat cushion by the reclinerassembly, and wherein said pair of legs includes a pair of laterallyspaced apart front legs extending between the support base and the frontend of the seat cushion and a pair of laterally spaced apart rear legsextending between the support base and the rear end of the seat cushion.4. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein riser assemblyincludes a second recliner operatively coupled between each of said rearlegs and said support base.
 5. The seat assembly as set forth in claim4, wherein the recliner release mechanism comprises: a cam lever fixedlycoupled to the first recliner for actuating the first recliner betweenthe locked and unlocked conditions, the cam lever extending between afirst end and an opposite second end; a first recline link extendingbetween a first end pivotally coupled to the first end of the cam leverand an opposite second end; a second recline link extending between afirst end pivotally coupled to the seat cushion and an opposite secondend pivotally coupled to the second end of the first recline link; and afirst recliner handle coupled to the first end of the second reclinelink wherein operation of the first recliner handle pivots the secondrecline link to pull linearly on the first recline link pivoting the camlever to thereby actuate the first recliner between the locked andunlocked conditions.
 6. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 5,wherein the recliner release mechanism comprises: a third recline linkpivotally coupled to seat cushion and extending between a first end andan opposite second end; a fourth recline link extending between a firstend pivotally coupled to the first end of the third recline link and anopposite second end pivotally coupled to the second end of the camlever; and a second recliner handle coupled to the second end of thethird recline link wherein operation of the second recliner handlepivots the third recline link to pull linearly on the fourth reclinelink pivoting the cam lever to thereby actuate the first reclinerbetween the locked and unlocked conditions.
 7. The seat assembly as setforth in claim 6, wherein operation of the second recliner handleactuates the second recliner coupled to the riser assembly between thelocked and unlocked conditions for movement of the seat assembly to thestowed position.
 8. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 7 furtherincluding a third recliner handle operatively coupled to the secondrecliner wherein operation of the third recliner handle actuates onlythe second recliner between the locked and unlocked condition formovement of the seat assembly to the pitched easy entry position.
 9. Theseat assembly as set forth in claim 8 further including a seat backblocking mechanism actuated in response to operation of the thirdrecliner handle to block pivotal movement of the seat back when the seatassembly in the pitched easy entry position.
 10. The seat assembly asset forth in claim 9 further including an electric drive assemblyoperatively coupled between the second and third recliner handles andthe second recliner for automatically actuating the second recliner fromthe locked to unlocked conditions in response to actuation of either thesecond or third recliner handles.
 11. The seat assembly as set forth inclaim 10 wherein the electric drive assembly includes an electric motorfor driving a cable drum and a cable extending between the cable drumand the second recliner for actuating the second recliner between thelocked and unlocked conditions in response to actuation of the electricmotor.
 12. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 11 further includinga proximity switch coupled to the electric motor and a switch actuatoroperatively coupled between each of the second and third reclinerhandles and the proximity switch for engaging the proximity switch andactuating the electric motor in response to operation of either of thesecond or third recliner handles.
 13. The seat assembly as set forth inclaim 12 wherein the pair of front legs include an upper leg portionpivotally coupled to a lower leg portion and a latch operatively coupledbetween the upper and lower leg portions for movement between a latchedposition interlocking the upper and lower leg portions and an unlatchedposition allowing pivotal movement of the upper leg portion relative tothe lower leg portion.
 14. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 13further including a cable extending between the switch actuator and thelatch for actuating the latch between the latched and unlatchedpositions in response to operation of the third recliner handle therebyallowing pivotal movement of the upper leg portion relative to the lowerleg portion with the seat assembly in the pitched easy entry position.15. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 14 wherein the support baseincludes a front mounting plate spaded apart from a rear mounting plateand a pair of parallel and spaced apart side support brackets extendingbetween the front and rear mounting plates.
 16. The seat assembly as setforth in claim 14 wherein the front mounting plate includes laterallyspaced apart slide brackets including an elongated slot therein andwherein said front legs are pivotally and slidably coupled in theelongated slot to allow the front legs to retract rearwardly towards therear legs during movement of the seat assembly to the stowed position.